The New Shop Floor Management - Kiyoshi Suzaki - Published in 1993

Introduction

Shop floor is the place where the most fundamental, value-added activities take place, whether they are in manufacturing, services, or construction.

There are approaches for maximizing the potential of people at the shop floor. This book will explore such potential by focusing attention on the shop floor.

One of the major focuses of this book is self-management of people on the shop floor, The Japanese call shop floor managemet genba kanri. This book attempts to share new perspectives on shop floor management and provide pragmatic approaches for increasing people's self-managing capabilities.

Konosuke Matsushita said. "we make people first before making products."

Each person has self-managing or autonomous capabilities. If they are linked to the total organization, we can create a system that is more humane.

The problems on the shop floor may seem big when managers try to solve them by themselves, but when try to solve the same problem by involving everybody and their creativity, they can solve them more of them more easily.

One view of shop floor management

Improvement of people
Problem solving utilizing collective wisdom of people.

Chapter 1 A Vision of New Shop Floor Management

We need to figure out ways to allocate resources intelligently and have people prove their contribution to the company's progress.

Chapter 2 Developing A Customer Oriented Organization

Working on Our Mindset

Instead of self-centered thinking, we need to practice selflessness.

Chapter 3. Establishing Company within Company

The Mini-Company Concept

Every operator has a supplier - Every operator has a customer

The front line supervisor as President of a mini-company

Benefits of Mini-company concept

People develop sense of ownership

Glass Wall or Glass Window Management

Open communication throughout the company.
Shop floor has to be self explanatory so that people get feedback and self-manage. If we practice this idea, talents of people are utilized to address key concerns of the shop right then and there. If we practice good glass wall management, we will utilize the collective wisdom of people better.

Chapter 4. Involving Everybody in the Process of Continuous Improvement

Changing Your Behavior as Leader - Steps Involved

Acquire new knowledge - Identify the new knowledge in the stimuli and think over it regarding implications to your success and the required behavior

Modify your attitude - If the new knowledge requires you to change some attitude, accept its implication and change your attitude

Change your behavior - New knowledge and change in attitude will motivate you to change your behavior. Try the new way of doing thing as an experiment. Do role plays in your mind as well as physically.

Change your Habit - Practice the new behavior so that when the event happens you can exhibit the new behavior as a habit.